Guide 03 · Reading
An award letter checklist you can run in ten minutes
Letters differ in design, but they answer the same handful of questions. Run through them in order.
summary
- Read the letter in the order: costs, gifts, earned aid, borrowed aid, then what is left.
- Circle every deadline and every condition. Those are what people miss.
- Ask the aid office to explain anything you cannot put in your own words.
Step 1: the costs
Find the cost of attendance and note which parts are billed. Everything else on the page is measured against this number.
Step 2: the gifts
List grants and scholarships. For each, write the amount, the source, and any condition for keeping it next year.
Step 3: earned and borrowed aid
Work-study is a job and arrives as pay, not as a credit. A loan is borrowed money, and accepting it is a decision, not a formality. Treat both as separate lines from the gifts.
Step 4: what is left
Subtract the gifts from the billed costs to see what remains. Then check whether the letter assumes you will accept the earned and borrowed items.
Step 5: dates and replies
Write down the reply deadline, the way to reply, and who to contact. If the offer can change after you reply, ask what would cause that.
General information only. Tuitnova is not a school, lender, scholarship provider, or financial aid office, and this is not financial, legal, or tax advice. Programs, rules, and dates vary and change; check with your school’s financial aid office or the official program website.